Transportation Minister Todd Stone says that speed limits on certain highways have been raised as an experiment to see what effect such an increase would have on road safety. Ian Toothill of the self-proclaimed Sense B.C. says that you need at least a year’s worth of data.”

This speed increase flies in the face of opposition by not only the police but emergency room physicians. I wonder what Stone and Toothill would want to say to the family of someone killed in consequence of this “experiment” and “data collection.”

Surely speed limits have to be set, mindful of the experience and abilities of all drivers, not just those as skilful as Toothill et al.

The F-word is my favourite word that sums up one’s feelings in a nut shell. It’s a word when you’re telling someone where to go that describes to them how they should get there.

Through over use in regular conversation, the F-bomb has lost a lot of its meaning and effectiveness. It should be used in conjunction with an exclamation mark as in “you f—— a——! Not, “let’s go to the f—— store and get some f—— gum.”

Ed Braun, Vancouver

F-word not classy

The F-word is a violent, rude, angry and unpleasant word that should never be said in front of children. Why, then, do people think it’s acceptable to use in public or in the workplace?

It’s unfortunate that so many people are unable to express themselves any other way, have so little self respect that this word is part of their everyday language and that so many people think that using this word is OK. Do you see those people as respectable, decent, charming or kind? I don’t.

Marlene Randal, Surrey

Transit workers not trusted

When SkyTrain shuts down, passengers force open the doors and risk walking along the tracks to safety. That shows a lack of confidence in transit staff, as well as the system itself.

Ride the system frequently and you’ll see that transit police and SkyTrain attendants don’t seem to care about anything. They ignore or otherwise condone any kind of behaviour, including drug dealing, aggressive panhandling, riding bikes and skateboards on platforms and other dangerous or obnoxious behaviours. Point out a problem to them and you might even get an angry response.

So when the system shuts down, transit passengers are supposed to rely on these people?

Greg Klein, Nanaimo

Arbutus greenway is a good idea

The Arbutus Greenway Improvements Society is in full support of Mayor Gregor Robertson’s objective to establish a greenway for gardens, walking and recreational cycling. We envision this greenwayas part of the proposed regional trail system connecting the Great Blue Heron Way (Tsawwassen), Millenium Trail (Delta), Richmond’s Sea Dykes with Vancouver’s Fraser River trails and beyond to the North Shore’s Spirit Trail with tie-ins to the TransCanada Trail system.

A potential partnership for financing should include the provincial government, which ceded the land CP Rail in the first place.

David Grigg, Hans Finken, Arbutus Greenway Improvements Society

When will it end?

Against the dire background of escalating armed confrontation, failure by Israel and Palestine to find the “middle” in the Middle East will mean that, as a world community, we have all failed. The answer to the eternal question of Israel and Palestine coming to peaceful terms with each other remains as elusive as ever.

Both sides of the canyon-like divide righteously claim moral supremacy and both sides continue to engage in unending violence.

The angry Palestinian cry of displacement is met with an equally passionate call for a secure homeland by Israel. The Middle East is sadly locked in an eternal political and military stalemate, with the bloodshed and tears of its victims defining the political landscape of both Israel, Palestine and beyond

We don’t sell confectionary cigarettes; our products are intended for adults, not children.

Reports of “colourful boxes of candy-flavoured tobacco sticks” puzzle manufacturers who must cover 75 per cent of packaging with graphic health warnings.

We expect anti-tobacco activists to make unsupported claims, but also expect more factual analysis from the media to investigate how young people access tobacco in a country that precludes legal sales to them. Perhaps the illegal tobacco trade would be a good place to start.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the “X” in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.